Network Connections

If any device on the network loses connection, ensure that all of the devices on the network are using the appropriate network settings. The following are examples of devices that could exist on a normal DisplayNet AV content network: 10GbE network switch, DHCP server, DisplayNet devices, DisplayNet Server, third party controller, third party interface devices, as well as control PCs and other devices. Next, ensure that the network cables used are of high quality, within the specified lengths, undamaged, properly terminated and properly seated in the network ports.

To determine if there is an issue with the 10GbE network switch, first, ensure that power is supplied to the switch and that the switch is turned ON. Next, bypass the network switch entirely by connecting DisplayNet Manager directly into the 1GbE port on a DisplayNet device. If it is possible to communicate directly with the device, then there may be an issue with the network switch or its configuration. In this case, first attempt to reboot the network switch. This may resolve the issue.

If not, ensure that the switch used includes the required features and is configured with the settings described in the Switch Configuration Section of this manual.

If a third-party control device cannot connect to the server, the control device may be using incorrect network settings to target the server. If so, please update the connection settings in the control device and any third-party interface devices (as needed) and attempt to reconnect to the server. If the DisplayNet Manager software cannot connect to the API Engine, check the connection settings in the software and attempt to reconnect to the server. If the control device and/or DisplayNet Manager software cannot detect the DisplayNet devices on the network, then the network settings may be misconfigured on the server. Ensure that DisplayNet Server is on the same subnet as the DisplayNet devices, and that each DisplayNet device is assigned a unique IP address. DVIGear recommends the use of a DHCP server to assign and manage IP addresses when using a manual addressing scheme, as this allows for both central management of addresses and automatic address configuration in the event of a device factory reset.

If the software can detect the DisplayNet devices but the devices will not accept commands, then there may be an IP address conflict on the network. Please check the DHCP server to ensure that all connected devices are assigned unique IP addresses. It may also be necessary to reboot the affected DisplayNet devices, this forces the devices to obtain new addresses using DHCP or APIPA (if no DHCP server is present).

When the devices are set to DHCP mode, during a power cycle event, the devices will request new IP addresses. If a DHCP server is not used, then the devices will use APIPA to automatically assign IP addresses in the 169.254.X.X range with a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0. By default, the server ships with DHCP enabled, and also supports APIPA in the event that a DHCP server is not present. If DHCP or APIPA is used, the endpoints should be reachable from the server and their network settings should not conflict. By default, the host name of the server is set to "displaynet".